Treatment Programs

Liver Transplant Program

The Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center has performed more adult and pediatric liver transplants than any other center in New England, and has maintained some of the best graft and patient survivals in the country.

Mass General has performed the most liver transplants in New England since 1988. Centers A to G represent the other New England transplant centers. (Based on Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) data as of August 1, 2012). For more data visit the OPTN website

A pioneer in organ transplant since 1963, the Mass General Transplant Center draws from state-of-the-art technology and leading-edge medical and surgical interventions to provide individualized, ongoing care for adult and pediatric patients with liver disease. Our Liver Transplant Program provides complete treatment, transplant and management options for patients with acute or chronic liver disease, as well as patients with liver cancer. Learn more about pediatric liver transplantation at MassGeneral Hospital for Children

Advanced Evaluation, Multidisciplinary Care Our patients receive integrated, comprehensive care, beginning with a careful assessment and discussion to ensure that transplantation is the patient’s best treatment option. Candidates work with a transplant coordinator, who participates in the initial evaluation, gathers medical information and previous test results, and manages the patient’s full evaluation, which includes patient education, medical, surgical and psychosocial evaluation, and transplant-specific testing. Learn more about the pre-transplant evaluation

Support us

To learn more about how you can support the Liver Transplant Program, contact James F. Markmann, MD, PhD, at 617-643-4533

To make a gift now, please contact Tyrone C. Latin in Mass General Development at 617-643-5781 or make a donation online

Collaborations with Liver Center and Cancer Center Specialists at the Mass General Transplant Center work closely with their colleagues in the Mass General Liver Center and Mass General Cancer Center. This collaboration allows patients with liver disease and cancer to receive coordinated care that includes the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options. Many patients with liver cancer are eligible for liver transplantation. Our surgeons have extensive experience in both complex and minimally invasive removal of liver tumors.

Learn more about liver cancer treatment at the Mass General Cancer Center and the diagnosis and treatment of liver disease at the Mass General Liver CenterLiving Donor Liver Transplant Program Mass General has one of the most active and experienced living donor liver transplant programs in New England. Through living donor liver transplantation, a family member or friend donates a portion of his/her liver, allowing patients to receive a transplant without a prolonged waiting period. The donor’s healthy liver grows back to full size within a few weeks.

Those interested in living liver donation can contact our donor coordinator at 877-644-2860 for a confidential conversation to learn more, without any commitment to donation. Learn more about the donor evaluation

Meet the TeamThe Mass General Liver Transplant Team guides patients through every stage of care with a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, dietitians, case managers, financial coordinators and other clinicians to help navigate the transplant process. Scroll through the list below to meet the team. Learn more about the Liver Transplant Team

Congenital liver defects are rare liver diseases present at birth such as biliary atresia, when the bile ducts are absent or have developed abnormally, and choledochal cyst, a malformation of the hepatic duct that can obstruct flow of bile in infants.

Tumors are abnormal masses of tissue that form when cells begin to reproduce at an increased rate. The liver can grow both non-cancerous (benign) and cancerous (malignant) tumors.

Support and Wellness

The Transplant Center is dedicated to ensuring that people understand their health care choices and have the necessary information to make decisions affecting their health and well being. The related support and wellness information listed below can play a role in treatment options.

The Department of Health and Human Services awarded the Transplant Center a Medal of Honor for its outstanding achievements in organ donation, including a donation rate of 75 percent or more eligible donors.

When the call came in at 4 am, just before Christmas, Eric Fritz, 38, of Liverpool, N.Y., was so surprised he made the transplant coordinator tell him twice. After a year of waiting, he had a donor liver.

Kathleen Corey, MD, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Fatty Liver Clinic and co-director of the Mass General Weight Center, discusses the link between obesity and the rise in liver diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

At the Transplant Center, clinicians and scientists work side by side to develop innovative therapies that have revolutionized transplant medicine around the globe. These dynamic interactions are a unique strength of the center, leading to a number of groundbreaking "firsts" that continue to improve the lives of patients.